with ... Sylvain Geboers
Saturday 30 July: Former GP winner and team owner of the Rockstar Energy Suzuki Factory team Sylvain Geboers is from an era when racing Motocross in Belgium was not only a family passion, but that of the nation.
Photo: Sylvain Geboers - Ray Archer image.
For Youthstrteam Geoff Meyer catches up with Sylvain Geboers. It was a time when kids would play with their
motorcycle on the street just as they might now play with their
footballs. The sport was growing and Belgium as a country grew with it.
Not only in population, but also in housing and quality of the streets.
Times have changed as Motocross circuits are
more difficult to find due to more housing in Belgium, but already the Belgian
legend is part of a group looking at ways to make sure the sport survives in the
greatest Motocross Nation in the World.
Having finished second in the World on many
occasions and battled the likes of Joel Robert, Roger De Coster, Harry Everts
and Torsten Hallman, the veteran Belgian knows a little about fighting for what
he wants.
Sylvain, you have been involved in
Motocross all your life. Where did you used to ride as a
child?
When I was young we had a motocross
circuit just 500 metres from our house," Geboers told. "But we often practiced
on the street, back then the streets were made of dirt. Of course, times have
changed, but that isn’t a surprise. Belgium is a small place and we as a country
have never been organized with building houses, so you have houses all over the
place and if somebody has a Motocross circuit near their house, there is a
problem.
I know living in Holland the Dutch seem to
be better organized in planning for sporting facilities. What is your opinion on
the difference between Holland and Belgium as far as Motocross facilities
go?
In Holland for instance it is
different, there they have been organized for years and placed housing in areas
that are suitable for a small country with a large population. In Belgium we
have housing in Industrial areas and there is no regular rule to where you can
build.
The old days of riding a Motocross bike in the forest
are long gone.
People are still riding sometimes in
the forest, but it’s not allowed anymore and if you get caught you get into
problems with the police. It’s not possible to just take a leisurely ride
anymore, because there isn’t really anywhere you can do that.”
What can you do to make sure that enough
Motocross circuits are available in Belgium?
What we are trying to push for is
that each region in Belgium has a Motocross circuit, so spread over say 10
regions we have 10 new facilities, with good showers, toilets, good circuits.
That is what we can hope for, but it is a lot of work and we need to work really
hard to make sure this happens.